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In todays market they are 2 major forms of technology that cell phones use.The first and oldest being CDMA, which dates all the way back to the 1940s;However, only become commercially avable during the mid 1990s.CDMA is the technology behind major carriers such as Verizion(the second largest carrier in the US.,Altell, and Sprint.

The second and more popular of the two is GSM.One of the first GSM networks was launched in 1991 in Finland by Ericsson.GSM is widely considered the standard for mobile phone technology and is used by roughly 80% of cell phone users worldwide.Due to GSM’s huge market share, some manufactorers make strictly GSM compatible phonesGSM is used by major carriers such as AT&T, T-Mobile,Rogers and many more.One of my favorite things about GSM is that is uses Subscriber Identification Modules, commonly known as a “sim card”(or sim chip). The SIM is a detachable smart card containing the user’s subscription information and phone book. This allows the user to retain his or her information after switching handsets. Alternatively, the user can also change operators while retaining the handset simply by changing the SIM. Some operators will block this by allowing the phone to use only a single SIM, or only a SIM issued by them; this practice is known as SIM locking, and is illegal in some countries.
Advatages of GSM?

It isnt a coinceincde that gsm technology is considerd the worldwide standard for mobile phone technology and and also of the cell phone market worldwide.GSM is a more standardized system, while is not as standardized.GSM users are able to “roam”(which simply means piggyback off of other carriers towers, when your carrier is not avalible in the area).Due to the differnces in technlogy and infrastructure CDMA users are unable to “roam” and arebinded only to their networks service area.Another advantage of GSM is the use of SIM cards, which holds the users contactsand subscriber information, which means you are able to swap phones on the go, while with CDMA if you want to swap cell phones you are forced to visit your carrier’s localstore and have them program you a new phone,as a result everytime a user switches cell phones they have to manually add their contacts into the new phone, which can sometimes be a huge hassle.

The winner is….

While, this is strictly just my2 cents. As a buisnessman and frequent traveler, I would have to say GSM is not only more user friendly but more conveint.I change phones on average 3-4 times a week, and occasionaly lose a few.As long as I have my sim card I can hot swap the card into a new phone and I have all my contacts and information ready to go.

Online store for Unlocked Cell Phones.Supplying the latest GSM cell phones !

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/gadgets-and-gizmos-articles/cellular-phones-gsm-vs-cdma-1527955.html

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{Unlocked Cell Phones 101|What is Unlocking my cell phone | Unlocked cell phones for dummies|What is a SIM Card|

A GSM phone is not directly linked to you. Rather, it has a removable account card, called a SIM (subscriber information module) and this SIM Card has a unique serial number on it. This is what identifies you to your carrier

Generally cell phone service works so that the unique number in your phone (its ESN) is used by the cell phone provider to identify you. The wireless service provider ‘knows’ that a particular phone’s serial number is your phone and knows to send phone calls to that phone when someone dials your number.

The important thing about this is that you can put your SIM into any compatible mobile device (and just asbout all gsm phones are compatible) and that phone will now act as your mobile phone, because your carrier sees the SIM that is tied to your account in the phone. They couldlnt care less that you’ve swapped phones, all they care about is if they can provide service to your SIM card
And now for the really stimulating part of this. Just as, in theory, you can move your SIM card to any phone, the other way is also true. Any phone is compatible with any SIM. So, if you’ve already bought an expensive mobile phone that you enjoy and have learned how to use, if you change from one GSM carrier to a differnt one, you don’t have to . You can keep the phone you’ve grown accustmed to, and all you need to do is replace the first carrier’s SIM with your new service provider’s SIM.

But, some gsm carriers ‘lock’ their phones, meaning that their phones have been programmed to only work with SIM cards issued by them. Overthrowing that programming – unlocking your mobile phone so it can work with any GSM carrier – is what this is all about.
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What is GSM? Is it different than normal cell phone service? How do I know if I have GSM or not?

GSM is a type of mobile phone technology. The more common type of digital mobile phone service in America is CDMA technlogy, but just about every other country in the world uses primarily or only GSM.

For you as the purchaser of your phone, there is no difference at all between using a cell phone on a CDMA system or a phone on a GSM network. Unfortunately, the two different infrastructures are not compatible with each other so you cant swap between phones if your going from GSM to CDMA or vicea versa

If you have a T-Mobile or Cingular then you are using a GSM phone.

Can I just buy an unlocked phone without signing up for service?

Yes, there are several ways to purchase an unlocked cell phone without needing to sign up for a year or two of service that you mightn’t want. You can simply buy a used or new GSM phone on the internet or a friend or somewhere like that.

If you buy a used cell phone from an individual always make sure it unlocked before commiting to purchase.

You can also buy Unlocked Cell Phones from online stores such as my favorite,J-Cellular or Best Buy

Online store for Unlocked Cell Phones.Supplying the latest GSM cell phones !

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/gadgets-and-gizmos-articles/what-is-unlocking-my-cell-phone-1483879.html